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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. file — a document
  4. ball — a dance
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — low music
  9. shower — rain
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. file — a tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rest — a break
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — to wash
  22. band — a ring
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com